


The Dragon's Tribute

by LuckyLadyLily



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Dragon Symmetra, F/F, Kidnapping, Sexism, Slow Burn, Winston is a cat, Witch Angela "Mercy" Ziegler, like I am pretty sure they will eventually at least kiss but fuck if I know when that will happen, she might show up sometime, the kitten is named lena but it isn't a stand in for lena
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-27
Updated: 2018-07-17
Packaged: 2019-01-25 03:45:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 13,988
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12522244
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LuckyLadyLily/pseuds/LuckyLadyLily
Summary: “You know… They say a dragon can be appeased by a tribute of a beautiful woman.”One drunken kidnapping later Angela found herself chained to a boulder outside of a dragon’s lair.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Overwatch Fantasy AU. Symmetra is a dragon, Mercy is a witch, and everyone who matters is gay.

There is no one left who remembers the time before the dragon. And really, all in all it’s been a pretty good deal. The city provides tribute each fall and the dragon protects the city. What army would dare attack a city under the protection of a dragon?  
  
But it’s been a difficult year. A harsh winter followed by a wild fire wiped out a good deal of the crops. Food is scarce. The tradesmen have had to barter for food instead of gold. The tribute will be meager this year.  
  
They have claimed it as their king but at the end of the day it is still a dragon. A beast of awe inspiring magic and might. Noble and savage. It is not lost on the city that they are little more than cattle to the dragon. Who knows what the dragon will decide to do if they stop providing adequate tribute?

* * *

 

The witch came to the city early in the spring. Well, not exactly to the city, but near enough. She lived in the hills nearby. The city folk didn’t really know what to do about it.  
  
Witches were supposed to be secretive, practicing their dark arts in the shadows. But this witch wasn’t shy about it. She carried her broom in full site, she wore her pointed hat proudly. She was friendly. There ought to be a law against witches being friendly. With a repulsive hag of a witch at least you knew where you stood.  
  
“They say she drinks the blood of young women to stay forever young.”  
  
“That’s a vampire you fool. Witches steal years of life from their lovers.”  
  
“I thought that was succubi.”  
  
“Whatever the case, she is clearly using some kind of dark magic to keep herself young.”  
  
Nods around the table.  
  
“Captain Amari should do something about it. It isn’t right having a witch so near the city. It’s a corrupting influence.”  
  
“Have you seen the clothes she wears around town?”  
  
The men paused for a moment to recall. They had, indeed, seen her clothing. And all the skin that it failed to cover.  
  
“A temptress she is.”  
  
“It ain’t right. Ain’t proper.”  
  
“This city’s going to shit. Witches in the street, the dragon’s probably going to burn us all when we can’t give it enough gold. What’s next, the plague?”  
  
A glum silence settled over the table as each man took a drink.  
  
“You know… They say a dragon can be appeased by a tribute of a beautiful woman.”  
  
Each of the men contemplated this sage wisdom, connecting the dots in their mind.  
  
One drunken kidnapping later Angela found herself chained to a boulder outside of a dragon’s lair.

* * *

 

Angela was pushed onto her knees and heard the loud ‘click’ of a heavy lock. Two pairs of heavy hands held her in place by her arms as she struggled.  
  
“A tribute to the dragon!” One of the men declared loudly. Then, in a much quieter voice, “Run for it!” and the hands holding Angela released her.  
  
Angela ripped off the blindfold and gag, shouting at the men as they made a break for the trees.  
  
“A curse on all of you! A curse on you for a hundred years!” She shouted. Ineffectual without a magical focus, but sometimes a threat could do just as well as the real thing with the superstitious.  
  
She watched the retreating figures for a moment before turning around. The castle loomed at the top of the hill about a quarter mile away. It looked still and peaceful, but everyone knew it was the lair of the dragon.  
  
It had seemed like a good idea. The city already had a dragon for a king, how hard could it be to accept a witch for a doctor? If there was anywhere she wouldn’t have to hide what she was it should have been here.  
  
Angela sighed.  
  
And now she was chained to a bloody big rock. Better than being tied to a stake and set on fire, but not by much.  
  
_No use feeling sorry for yourself. Stay calm, stay rational. Maybe you can find a way out._  
  
Her hands were secured in front of her in shackles. She had a few inches of give between them, but there was no way she was going to get them off without some sort of tool. From the chain between her wrists a second long chain ran to the bolder, wrapped around the base, and locked to itself. She couldn’t find any points of weakness in the chain, but she did have about 5 feet of chain to work with. It could be worse.  
  
She calmly inspected the boulder. It was roundish, nearly as tall as she was. The chain was wrapped loose around the base but the boulder widened significantly higher up. She spent a minute working with the chain, hoping to slide it up off the rock. It quickly became clear that wasn’t an option.  
  
She dug a little at the base of the boulder with a stick. It didn’t seem set in the ground too deep… maybe if she could shift it, roll the rock just a little it would topple and roll down the hill, leaving the chain behind.  
  
Angela braced herself up against the rock, pushing as hard as she could. It didn’t budge. She dug her feet into the ground, pushing against it with all her might. Nothing. She stepped back as far as she could and threw her shoulder into the rock. Not only did it fail to move, now her shoulder hurt.  
  
She sat down, leaning against the rock to catch her breath.  
  
She could think of a hundred ways to get out of this. If she had her wand she could have snapped the chain with a single word. She could have levitated the boulder. She could melt the chain with magical acid, turn herself into mist, enchant herself with the strength of a giant. But without a focus no spell she was capable of could free her.  
  
_Alright. New plan._  
  
Angela picked up a stick and started digging around the edge of the boulder. The dragon didn’t seem to be home. If she worked quickly she might still have a chance.

* * *

 

The dragon peered over the castle wall, watching curiously as the woman pushed with all her might against the giant rock.  
  
_Does she actually think she can move that rock? It has to weigh several tons._  
  
The dragon liked humans. They were endlessly entertaining. They were among the weakest of creatures and yet had boundless determination. Even after observing them for a hundred and fifty years they still found ways to surprise her. Such as the beautiful woman chained up just outside the walls, now digging at the boulder with a stick. Lovely golden hair, a figure to die for, and so obviously magical that the dragon could smell it from here.  
  
_Well, time to go meet my tribute._


	2. The Dragon and the Mouse

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angela had a vision of a tiger playing with a mouse. As long as it was amused the tiger wouldn't kill the mouse. But what could she do to amuse a dragon?

Angela thought she was making some headway with her stick. Maybe another 15 minutes of digging and she would try to move the boulder again. 

Unfortunately she didn’t get that chance. Angela whipped around looking towards the castle when she heard the sound of large leathery wings catching the wind and backed up as far as the chain would allow. She watched the dragon gliding directly towards her and was knocked off her feet with the force of its landing. It towered over Angela, looking down at her with burning orange eyes.

_ I'm dead. I'm so dead. This is how I die. Eaten by a dragon. It's over. _

<What are you?> A voice asked inside Angela’s head.

Overcome with terror as she was it took Angela entirely too long to process the question. It didn't make any sense.

“I… am not sure what you mean. I'm human, but I am sure you-”

<You are magic. You practically reek of it. Why?>

And it clicked. The dragon was curious. Angela had a vision of a tiger playing with a mouse. As long as it was amused the tiger wouldn't kill the mouse. But what could she do to amuse a dragon? 

This dragon dealt with humans regularly. They had even declared it their king. It would be used to grovelling respect. So do the opposite.

Summoning all her courage Angela pulled herself to her feet, set her face in a look of annoyance, and looked straight up into the dragon's eyes.

“I do not reek.”

The dragon cocked it's head.

“I think I probably smell very nice. I have excellent hygiene. I do not reek.”

<Is that so?> The dragon asked.

“Yes. You are being very rude, you know.” Angela said indignantly. “You probably don't have many people tell you this because you are a big scary dragon, but your manners are terrible. I demand an apology.”

_ Oh Gods I am scolding a dragon, this was a terrible idea. _ Angela thought, panicking inside her own head.

<You want an apology?> The dragon said as if it couldn't quite believe what was happening. There was definitely a tone of amusement.

<Very well.> The dragon said, and it began to change. Its form twisted and shrank, happening so quickly Angela hardly had time to notice details. She saw talons retract, the long row of sharp teeth shrank, scales fused together to form something like armored skin. 

The new form the dragon had taken was not human. It was more like the idea of a dragon had been moulded into the shape of a human woman. Scales, sharp teeth, claws, and the burning eyes were all still there. Just human shaped. And it, or rather she, was strikingly beautiful. If the dragon’s previous form was terrifying this one was intimidating. Everything about her radiated power and confidence. And shape shifting like that was no minor feat. If anything Angela was more frightened than ever.

The dragon smirked and gave an exaggerated bow.

“My deepest apologies,  _ princess _ . Please forgive my rudeness.”

Angela was caught off guard. Whatever she had expected the dragon to do this was not it. 

“Of course. Just... don't let it happen again.” Angela said lamely.

“And now I have apologized will you deign to answer my question?”

“Well, um, I am a witch.” Angela said. She was normally very proud of her magical ability but she was clearly in front of a master.

“Like in fairy tales?” the dragon asked. She leaned down, picking up the chain and pulled Angela very close. Close enough that she could grasp Angela’s chin and turn her head as the dragon inspected her. She was incredibly strong. “You are much more beautiful that the books led me to expect of a witch.” the dragon said.

Despite herself Angela could feel a blush forming on her face.

“You should know I do not intend to harm you.” The dragon said. “That would be a terrible waste.” she said, letting go of Angela’s chin and starting to circle around her, continuing her inspection.

“That is good to know.”

“What is your name, witch?”

“Angela. Um, do you think you could stop that?” The way the dragon was looking Angela over made her quite uncomfortable.

“No. I want to inspect my prize.” The dragon said.

“Your… what?”

“You were given to me as tribute. You are mine now.” 

“Now wait a minute-”

“Do you own any pets, Angela?” The dragon asked, cutting her off. She had finished circling around Angela and was looking her in the eyes with amusement.

“Yes, I have two cats, but-”

“It is acceptable for a human to own a cat because cats are lesser creatures.”

“You are saying I am lesser than a dragon?”

“Smart girl.”

“So what, I am going to be you pet?” Angela asked.

“Pet, servant, slave. However you want to think of it.”

“I don’t particularly like any of those.” Angela said.  _ But better than being eaten I suppose. _ She added to herself.

“You will address me as Lady Vaswani.” The dragon said. She had the tone of someone getting down to business. “I want you to return to the city. Let the governor know I am claiming all your property as my own. Get anything you think you might need for the next few days, there will be plenty of time to transport the rest of your things to the castle later. Bring your animals, I won't have them separated from their owner.” 

She then reached forward, taking hold of Angela’s left forearm. Angela felt a slight burning sting underneath her grasp. When Lady Vaswani removed her hand a circular mark was left behind. It shimmered in the sunlight looking for all the world like someone had managed to turn gold and silver into ink. It was obviously magical.

“That mark is proof of my ownership. I will expect you to be at the castle by sundown, the gate will be open for you. Don't make me come look for you.” She said.

The dragon reached for the chain between Angela's wrists, snapping it as easily as Angela would have snapped a twig. Without another word the dragon turned, transformed back into it’s natural form, and flew back towards the castle walls.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The symbol put on Angela’s arm is the overwatch symbol :) It is hard to describe symbols like that so I didn’t bother.
> 
> Couldn't find anyone to proof read so this one is really rough. If anyone would want to proof for me I would love that.


	3. Chapter 3

With the dragon departed Angela finally started to come down, the rough night and adrenaline starting to hit her. She leaned up against the rock, letting herself slide down to sit on the grass.

Angela replayed the conversation with the dragon… with lady Vaswani in her head a few times. All told Angela thought she handled it pretty well. Unfortunately the short conversation gave her very few clues about what was actually going to happen to her. She looked down at the mark on her arm. ‘Proof of ownership’ as Lady Vaswani had said. It was clearly some form of arcane mark, it would let her find Angela. There was no running away from this.

Angela had studied dragons. Dragon’s blood was an ingredient in the most powerful potions, every healer dreamed of getting their hands on it. Even a shed scale would have been quite valuable to Angela. She also knew it could be extremely dangerous trying to persuade a dragon to give you these things. They were cunning, usually more intelligent than a human, and even a hatchling could be deadly. Most were proud and arrogant and regarded humans as vermin beneath their notice.

But Lady Vaswani clearly did not see humans that way. She maintained some level of cooperation with the city. And while she certainly did not regard Angela as an equal she had been interested in her. Compared her to a pet. That was… disturbing, but maybe not all bad.

Whatever the case it wouldn't do to get on Lady Vaswani's bad side. Angela had instructions and it didn't seem like she had much choice but to follow them.

Angela looked to the sky. The sun was just a bit over the eastern mountains, but the days were getting shorter and there was a lot to do. She stood up and began the long walk back to her home.

The walk took nearly 3 hours. Angela had very little to do during that time but worry. She was an optimist by nature but everything had fallen apart. Any plans she had were wiped out by the meeting with Lady Vaswani. Not that Angela’s situation had but great, but now she had no idea where her life was headed.

Angela's home finally came into view. She sighed in relief, nothing seemed to be wrong. She had been afraid that someone might have stayed behind to set fire to it. It wasn’t uncommon when a witch was attacked.

Angela lived in fairly humble circumstances. She was a healer and most people she helped were not in a position to give much compensation. Her home consisted of a covered wagon she kept most her possessions in, a garden plot, and a small cottage, really a shack, she slept in and used to make medicine.

She checked the workshop first, she kept everything really important in there. She stepped inside, quickly confirming that everything was as it should be. A tiny black kitten ran out from under the bed, rubbing up against her leg and meowing.

“Aww, did you miss me Lena?” Angela said, scooping up the kitten in her arms and sitting down on the bed, letting herself fall backwards onto the old mattress and laying the Lena on her stomach. Lena responded by curling into a ball, purring and nuzzling into Angela’s hand as she pet the kitten. Her second cat, a large grey cat named Winston, appeared from whatever corner it had been hiding and jumped up on the bed next to Angela.

She had really thought this place could be a home. And not just a place she could live, but a place she could be herself. It had been going so well. People were distrustful and that was to be expected but some were warming up to her. She even had a few friends. But it clearly wasn’t safe here. Those men…

They had come for her late. Angela had fallen asleep at her workbench. It had been a late night, lots of medications to prepare. She had forgotten to lock the door. It was a bad habit, she usually locked up just before going to bed.

She remembered the knife against her throat vividly. She didn’t see much before they tied a blindfold over her eyes. They didn’t want her to see their faces. The gag was to prevent curses. They had marched her for several hours blind.

Looking back, really, she had been lucky… It could have gone worse, so much worse...

Wiping tears from her eyes she sat up and reached over to her work table, finding and clutching hard to her wand.

Better to get moving anyway. It would be quick getting back to the castle with her broom but there was a lot to do.

She started by eating some breakfast as she searched through her book collection. She pulled out a selection of rare volumes on magical arts and her own medicine journal. Besides the cats they were the only truly irreplaceable things she owned. She threw in a couple novels for stress relief, she had the feeling she would need it. As a final thought she found her reference book on magical creatures. Might come in handy. Next she packed the rarest and most valuable of her potion ingredients followed by medicines she had already completed, setting aside the deliveries she would need to make today.

The final concern was food. She spent some time picking vegetables and fruit in her garden. It would make a good base for a few days worth of food. She learned long ago how to clean water with magic, and she could pick up everything else she needed in the city.

She popped her head into the small shack.

“Winston?”

The cat looked up at her.

“Mow.” he said.

“I will be back before night. Take care of Lena.”

“Mow”

* * *

The trip to the city took only minutes on her broom. She had a few places to go: The general store, dropping off medicines to patients and giving them long term instructions if she couldn't make it back, and Lady Vaswani had instructed Angela to speak to the governor. But explaining her situation to a stranger was about the last thing Angela wanted to do. She wrote a letter instead, passing it of to her secretary. She drew Lady Vaswani’s symbol on it hoping that might get it looked at a little quicker.

Her last stop was at the central guard house. It wasn’t terribly large, it was more an administration building than an actual base of operations. The guards were Angela’s best customers. They always paid and they needed medicine much more than the average citizen.

Inside it was even more empty than usual. There was a handful of guards doing paper work; none of them spared her more than a glance. There was also an older woman sitting at the front desk. She appeared to be writing a letter as Angela approached and only looked up when she finished her sentence.

“Angela! Good to see you.” The woman said, standing up from her desk.

“Hello Ana. I brought those medicines you ordered.” Angela responded, reaching into her bag for a small package. “I labeled and color coded them. The green are heavy pain killers, the blue will deal with infection, the red will prevent infection. I included instructions, make sure they are followed exactly. These medications can be dangerous if not used correctly.”

“Thank you dear.” Ana said, taking the package and putting it on the desk.

“Are you ok Angela?” She said quietly as she turned back.

“What makes you ask that?” Angela responded. She thought she had been hiding it quite well.

“You are normally smiling when you come to see Fareeha.” Ana explained. “Did something happen?”

Angela thought about everything that was happening. The men, the dragon. How to explain it, how to communicate her disappointment at the way she had been treated and her fears about the future. It was just too much.

“You know, I would rather not talk about it. Is that ok?” Angela said.

“That is fine.” Ana responded. She held out her arms and the women shared a hug.

“You don’t have to do everything alone, alright?” Ana said.

“I know. Actually, I was hoping to talk about it with the Captain.” Angela said as she pulled out of the embrace.

“Unfortunately my daughter is out of the city for a few days.” Ana said. “I could let her know to come by after she gets home?”

Angela sighed. Typical for how today was going. Captain Amari was her first friend in the city, if there was anyone she could confide in it would have been Fareeha.

“No, I am going to be leaving for a while. I am not sure when I am going to return.” Angela explained. “I’ll come by when I do. I better go.” Angela could feel the tears coming again, she wanted to go before Ana saw them.

“Of course. Take care of yourself.”

* * *

 

Angela returned to her home to collect her things. She saw Winston laying in the front yard watching over Lena who was chasing a butterfly. There was nothing left to do, no reason to put it off any longer. She sat down next to Winston in the grass anyway.

“What do you think Winston? I’ve had you for a very long time. What is it like?” She said. She almost expected an answer, Winston was her familiar and incredibly intelligent. For the first time she was considering what that actually meant. Was it really ok for her to own a creature as intelligent as Winston? Was he happy?

Winston’s only response was to climb up on her lap and snuggle up to her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel like Ana is the type of person who can tell when someone doesn’t get enough hugs and tries to help. This is my important headcanon of the day. I am a big believer in platonic affectionate physical contact.


	4. Chapter 4

When Satya had started nesting in the abandoned castle she hadn’t asked for tribute. It had simply been a good location. Near enough to the mountains if she had to hide, next to a large forest for hunting, and there wasn’t another dragon’s lair for two hundred miles. Besides, the castle felt more like a home than some cave carved out of the side of a cliff and the heavy stone walls made her feel safe. Sure, it was a bit run down. Any structured abandoned for a century would be, but that just meant no one would care if she claimed it for her own. And Satya had a talent for working with raw materials. She could repair what needed repairing. It would even be a nice distraction.

It was only a short month into her stay that she found a small chest near the outer walls. Well, small to a dragon, even one as young as Satya, perhaps fairly large for a human. Inside the chest there was a short letter atop a pile of copper, silver, and gold coins:

“A tribute to the Dragon.”

Of course she had no real use for money, but the coins had been cleaned and gleamed in the sunlight. Like all dragons she had a bit of a weakness for such things. She enjoyed arranging the coins in beautiful patterns, complex spirals that caught the sunlight just so. After playing with her new wealth for a few days she shifted into a human disguise and went into the nearby city to find out where it all had come from. 

Apparently her arrival had made quite a splash. No one had really known what to do when a dragon moved in next door, especially when it seemed completely uninterested in the city. Still, something had to be done. The dragon had to be dealt with. And so, in that very human way of thinking, they decided to make a deal with the dragon.

The governor had set a special “dragon” tax. Each citizen gave a single coin, copper, silver or gold depending on their wealth, and it had all been collected together, cleaned as to not insult their new neighbor, and the captain of the guard had delivered it himself to the castle wall. Or as near as he dared.

It was as if a chicken had given her an egg to show how useful it was.

Satya was thrilled. The last thing she wanted was trouble with the locals. Still, maybe they were thinking too small. A pact to leave each other alone was good, but an alliance would keep her safe. She spent a day in the city’s modest library carefully preparing a letter to the governor. Humans scared easily, and the last thing she wanted was a misunderstanding.

Her proposal was simple. The city would provide her with adequate tribute and in return she would act in the city’s interest. She offered to aid in its defense in case of armies or monsters, and the idea caught hold of the population. It was scarcely a decade before they had declared her their king. 

Humans are so strange.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter this time. There was more to it at first but I broke it into two sections because I felt it worked better.
> 
> At this point I think I need a name for the city. Originally the city was just going to be a minor concern but the scope of this fic keeps on expanding. I was considering using Eichenwalde for fun but I would love any suggestions.
> 
> Changing to update every monday so I have a little more time to plan and get it checked over and so I can write smaller one or two chapter fics on the side.
> 
> Last, a special thanks to DWeber for their help and suggestions!


	5. Chapter 5

Satya considered the conversation with Angela as she flew back over the walls of her home, shifting back into her humanoid form. The conversation hadn't gone exactly how Satya would have preferred.

Satya had many interactions with humans, perhaps more than any dragon before her. She should have been an expert. She had mastered nearly every discipline she had set her mind to over the past hundred and fifty years, but simple interactions with humans continued to cause her difficulty.

The first thing Satya did was go to her personal library. It was small, a single converted bedroom with every wall covered in shelves. It was only a small portion of her collection, the vast majority was kept in the royal library within the city where her subjects could maintain them. These were only her most favorite books along with some more practical items, such as her most up to date English dictionary, which she pulled off the shelf.

“Reek - to smell strong and foul.” Hmm. That had been the wrong word to use. She would need to brush up on her English, no wonder the woman has been upset. The smell was powerful but it was pleasant. Earthy. Sweet. Like primal magic but refined, more palatable.

But Satya had been curious. It was rare to meet a human so obviously magical. And when you did they invariably had the sterile, chemical stench of wizards. Angela was something new. And the way she dressed was very unusual. 

Satya had never spoken to a witch before, though she knew of them from books. They were supposed to be foul users of black and evil magic. That was clearly wrong, Angela didn't smell anything like black magic. Maybe the meaning had changed. Satya’s personal collection didn't have any modern books involving witches, they were all at least a century old.

Human words changed so often, they could mean so many different things. The same word spoken in a different tone or to the wrong person or at the wrong time could mean the exact opposite of its usual meaning. Dragons were much more straightforward to deal with. And much more boring.

Satya recalled one story that had briefly mentioned a good witch, she had been treated like royalty in the story. That must be it. Angela was human nobility, everything made sense that way. That would explain why she dressed differently, and of course humans would have respect for a powerful magic user. They practically revered wizards. She had also been given in place of Satya’s usual tribute, which was usually a decent fortune. She would probably be used to royal treatment. Servants. Fine food. Well, she would need to get used to what Satya could provide.

Still, she could maybe make the transition a little easier for Angela.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was going to be much longer, including Angela arriving at the castle and the introduction of a new character but my daughter got sick. Hopefully I'll be able to get more done this week.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is rough as hell and probably needs some serious editing but I don't want to lose my momentum so I am posting it now. I'll add notes and edit it later.

Angela flew to the castle on her broom, winston poking his head out of her bag and Lena carefully tucked in the crook of Angela's arm. Angela was taking her time even though the sun was dropping closer to the horizon. She enjoyed flying and she didn't know when or if she would get the chance to do so again. So while she had her chance she flew. Finally, when she really didn't think she could delay any longer, she approached the castle gate.

In theory Angela could have flown over the wall. She was also not stupid enough to try flying over walls built by a magic user. It was a very good way to end up very dead very quickly. Lady Vaswani had left the gate open, it would be safe to enter there. At least as safe as walking into a dragon’s lair was ever going to get.

The gate itself was massive and imposing. Probably large enough that Lady Vaswani could pass through in her natural form, though why she would bother when she could just for Angela was not sure. Walking through the gate felt more like walking through a very short tunnel.

She hadn't known what to expect on the other side, but it had not been this. As it turned out the walls encompassed a large area beyond the castle itself. The grounds were pristine and beautiful, but in an odd way. It seemed that Lady Vaswani had let the forest more or less reclaim the castle grounds but decided nature was a bit messy about it. The trees were straighter than would have been normal, there weren't untidy rocks about. The path to the castle proper would have seemed natural if it wasn't so straight. It looked like someone had tried to recreate a painting in real life, the effect was only enhanced by the wall protecting the scene. Nature contained and tamed.

Not what she expected from the dragon’s lair. Though really she had no idea what to expect besides being eaten, and that didn’t seem to be an actual concern. As many odd questions as all of this brought up it was nice to see that once you got past the imposing outer walls the place was actually quite inviting.

Angela followed the path from the gate to the castle itself, pushing open the large ornate double door. It was dark inside, unlit except a distant blue light that.

“Hello?” Angela called out. She didn’t call too loudly, but she could hear her voice filling the empty stone hall anyway.

Ka-chunk. Ka-chunk Ka-chunk Ka-

_ What the bloody hell is that. _

-chunk Ka-chunk Ka-chunk-

It was a metallic noise, hollow but heavy, extremely regular, and echoing horribly in the previously dead silent hallway. Angela had never heard anything like it. It was getting louder. And Angela realized with a start that the blue light was moving, getting closer along with it.

It didn’t look so far now.

Angela stepped away from the door, dropping her broom on the grass and retrieving her wand. It seemed unlikely that Lady Vaswani would be lure Angela here into a trap, but… well, it wasn’t really logical, but Angela really had no idea what to make of the situation and she just felt better with her wand out incase she needed to defend herself.

The hollow noise grew louder, and Angela began to make out the outline of a figure. Huge, maybe 8 feet tall. Angela realized that the regular hollow noises were it’s footsteps. Specifics began to emerge as it got closer. It was wearing plate armor, covered in sharp angles and beautiful if somewhat excessive ornamentation. But the metal was dull, scratched and dented. Even rusted in parts. Most striking was the blue light shining from it’s eyes. A gigantic sword, longer than most men are tall, was hanging from it’s back. It looked well used and very sharp.

From this close she could see into its eyes, or more accurately see that there were no eyes to see. The helmet was empty, the blue light coming from somewhere within the armor. That probably ruled out a human then, but there were any number of creatures or spells that could animate a suit of armor.

The giant stepped out of the door, standing absolutely still, staring down at Angela.

Angela stared back.

It was a solid 20 seconds before Angela decided that she would have to be the one to break the standoff.

“Um, hi, I am Angela? Lady Vaswani ordered me to come here?” She said, lifting her arm and showing the suit of armor the mark she had left.

The giant lifted one hand, giving a mechanical wave, then produced a small slate, writing on it with chalk in blocky letters:

I WILL NOT HURT YOU

“That is good to know, I guess…” she said awkwardly.

They gestured to her wand. Angela had it pointed directly at their chest.

“Oh! I am sorry, how rude of me.” She said, lowering the wand quickly. “You know, just a little nervous, first time in a dragon’s lair and all.”

The armor wrote:

I TAKE NO OFFENSE

And then below, a separate thought:

FOR YOU

They were holding a letter out for her. Angela took it.

_ Angela, welcome to my home. Bastion will show you to your room. They are generally helpful so if you need anything don’t hesitate to make a request. I hope your accommodations are adequate, it was the best I could do on short notice. I will be out until the late evening making arrangements. You may move about the castle and within the wall freely, there is nothing that will hurt you. _

_ -Satya Vaswani _

While she was reading winston jumped out of her bag, circling around Bastion, inspecting them. Bastion’s head spun around in place, following the cat. It was a bit disconcerting. They knelt down and reached out for Winston, who backed away quickly and hid behind Angela.

“zwee?”

The giant tilted its head, making a sort of humming noise that echoed inside it’s hollow metal body. In theory an ethereal projection should be eery and haunting but this was mostly cute, like an animal trying to catch a human's attention.

“Winston, this is Bastion. They are not going to hurt you.” Angela said, crouching down on her heels to pick up Winston and place her in front of Bastion. “You don’t need to hide. We are going to be living with them, you might as well make friends.”

Winston looked up at Angela skeptically.

“Go on.” She said, pushing him forward a little.

Winston walked up to the giant and sniffed at their outstretched hand. After a moment the hand moved, paused, and Bastion wrote on his slate:

MAY I?

“Of course, just be gentle.”

Bastion pet winston. It was a bit odd, they moved very precise and mechanically, but Winston seemed to like it, purring and nuzzling up against the armor gauntlet. Bastion picked him up, carefully cradling him in an arm and continuing to pet him.

After a few moments Bastion reached out towards Angela, again tilting their head.

“Ooh?”

“You want to pet Lena? Of course, go ahead.” She said, adjusting the sleeping kitten so the giant could reach her easily. Their hand was so large they had to pet Lena with only two fingers. The kitten stirred, looking up for a moment at the suit of armor before deciding this was ok and falling back asleep.

“Do you want to carry her?” Angela offered. “My arm is getting tired, I have been holding her for a long time.”

Bastion nodded enthusiastically, holding out a gigantic hand in which Angela deposited the sleeping kitten.

“Ooh-hoo.” Bastion hummed happily.

“I am glad you like them. Can you help me to my room? I am quite exhausted, I could really use a place to rest.”

Bastion nodded, turning back and walking into the castle. Angela grabbed her broom and followed.

Bastion walked directly into the darkness without hesitation. Apparently they did not need light. That wasn't much of a problem, any magic user worth their salt could cast a light spell in their sleep. Angela had actually made a point of developing her own variant which she was quite proud of.

With a flick of her wand a dozen discs of light, each the size of a coin, appeared around her head. With a thought she directed the discs to take up positions above her head, forming something like a large halo. The light cast from the orbs was very nearly true to sunlight and provided a very soft lighting that chased away shadows far better than any amount of lamps.

By her light Angela could see that the hall only continued for a short distance before opening up into a much wider room. It looked like the grand hall, where balls or social events might happen, except it appeared in the absence of visitors Lady Vaswani had converted it for her own uses..

Directly to Angela's right was what had to be Lady Vaswani's horde. Angela had, if course, read about the tendency of dragon's to gather wealth, but seeing it was altogether different. There was no mountains of gold, just about a dozen plain chests, all identical in style and size, shoved in a corner in neat, orderly rows. That made sense, coins didn't actually pile that well. One was open, revealing that it was nearly full of mostly copper and silver coins but with some gold ones mixed in. Each of those chests probably contained more wealth than Angela had ever imagined.

The entire left side of the grand hall was converted into something like a museum for treasures of a more precious sort. Several dozen items were on display, some in cases of protective glass. A gigantic ruby, an ancient book bound in leather, a necklace covered in gems, an ornate dress on a mannequin. There was little in common between the items, it was likely simply a collection of Lady Vaswani’s favorite positions.

In the far right corner of the room was a gigantic pile of pillows. They were nice, but seemed well worn and selected for comfort rather than opulence. There was also a selection of roughly human sized furniture, including a desk, a bed, and a large, cushiony chair. Between the bed and chair there was a night stand with a few books piled neatly on top of it. It all had a distinct lived in feel.

Her first realization was that this was probably the dragon's bedroom. An entire grand hall for a bedroom stuffed full of money and treasure. It seemed excessive, but then again dragons were excessive creatures.

Her second realization was that the castle was for the most part human sized and she had human furniture in her bedroom. Lady Vaswani must spend a good amount of time in her humanish form.

Bastion led Angela a short way through the castle, going up to the second floor and into what seemed to be a hallway of rooms. Her’s was the first on the right.

The room wasn't excessively large, she couldn't fit a small museum in here, but it was larger than any where she had ever called her own. It was well furnished too, everything in here was very fine, quarters fit for a princess. It was… impersonal. Like a hotel room. All the little touches Angela would have wanted were absent. There were too many mirrors. There wasn't a bookshelf or a desk to work at. There wasn't anywhere for the cats yet.

It could have been worse. It was very nice. She shouldn't be complaining.

But at some point “it could have been worse” stops being good enough. She had been attacked, held at the point of a knife. It could have gone worse, but it had been terrifying. She had come face to face with a dragon. It could have gone worse. She could have been eaten or burned but instead she was allowed to live. The castle was beautiful and it was interesting but she hadn't chosen to come here.

She didn't want survivable. She wanted her home and her bed, something comfortable and familiar and safe.

Angela sighed. It could be worse.

“Thank you Bastion, I think I need to rest now.” She said, taking the cats from them. “Goodnight.”


	7. Chapter 7

Angela woke to a kitten on her bed insistently mewing in her ear. The sun was already up. It was time for food. Angela groggily sat up, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. Lena continued to mew at her insistently as her brain sorted everything out.  
  
She leaned over the edge of her bed, pulling up her bag and fishing around in it until she found food for lena and winston. She set it out on the floor, mentally making a note to find out if the dragon had dishes, and then retreated back under the warm covers. It may not have been her bed, but damn if it wasn’t so soft and so warm.  
  
She didn’t fall back to sleep, she wasn’t really tired anymore, but she had no reason to get up. For the first time in a long time she didn’t have anywhere to be or anything to do. She had taken care of all her patients as long term as she could and she didn’t have the resources to make new medicine at the moment anyway. She hadn’t been given any instructions by Lady Vaswani. And now it was occuring to her that she didn’t even need to figure out a solution for winter shelter.  
  
Sometimes problems can seem much smaller by the light of a new day. The simple fact was Angela had never had much say over the course of her life. Most witches survived through a combination of isolation, being useful enough that sensible people wanted them arrive, and being threatening enough that the superstitious wouldn't dare move against them. That was never a life Angela could pull off. She wanted to be around people and she just couldn't manage threatening. She had moved place to place, never stopping for long, never letting the local drunks get to the point of deciding to deal with her themselves. It was terribly lonely. She never really had a chance to form relationships, the closest she ever had to a real connection was the comradery she had with other witches.  
  
Angela had hoped that she would be able to make something of a home in Utopaea. The thing that was dawning on her was she had perhaps succeeded in a roundabout way. She was stuck here if she wanted it or not, but she also had a measure of protection that she had never enjoyed before. No one would dare touch her, they would never risk the anger of the dragon. Her situation had changed drastically over night but she couldn’t really say it was much worse. The big question now was what Lady Vaswani planned to do with her.  
  
There was no sense putting it off, and her curiosity was starting to overcome her apprehension. Time to find the dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After a couple rough weeks I am well enough again to write regularly. I wanted to get back into the habit of posting so this chapter is only part of what I had planned and not well edited. I am afraid if I spend too much time going over it my anxiety is going to get the better of me, so I am just this partial chapter now instead of waiting until monday.


	8. Chapter 8

Walking through the castle by day was an entirely different experience from the night before. The entire building was lit by enchanted stones set into the ceiling, filling the castle with a steady light far better than the dingy yellow light of an oil lamp. The light even seemed true to sunlight, which Angela knew from experience was not easy. There were hundreds, maybe thousands of the stones. Lady Vaswani had to have made them herself, even with the wealth of collecting tribute for a hundred and fifty years would not have paid for so many of them.

It quickly became apparent why such excellent lighting was important to Lady Vaswani. The core of the castle, where the grandhall slash museum slash bedroom and Angela's room were was somewhat plain. Tidy and functional. Beyond this central area it looked as if the castle had been expanded one hall or room at a time, and each room had been given an excessive amount of attention. That room was decorated in gold (real gold!) and deep blue, this room in purple and silver. One hall contained elaborate carvings set in inch of the walls, the next was elegant in its simplicity. As you moved through an area you could trace as she experimented with color and shape and materials.

The castle itself was a marvelous work of art. Angela could have wandered for hours, but she has a specific goal in mind today. Besides, she would probably get the chance some other time, Lady Vaswani seemed to be keeping her on a long leash.

Angela wished her mind would stop with the pet metaphors.

The layout of the castle didn't really have any logic to it, new rooms seem to have been added with no real goal in mind. Angela suspected they were simply added on as the dragon needed another room for her art. It was easy to get turned around in the maze of connecting hallways. Angela was sure she would have gotten lost if the individual rooms were not so distinctive.     


She finally found Lady Vaswani in an area that appeared to be half constructed, the walls incomplete and the room open to the elements. Angela cautiously approached, making sure Lady Vaswani saw her while Angela was still at a decent distance; sneaking up on a dragon seemed like a fatally bad idea. The dragon acknowledged her but waited to speak until Angela was within about ten feet.

“Kneel.” she said.

Angela hesitated a moment, then carefully got down to the ground, kneeling on one knee like a knight before their king.

She waited. Satya didn't seem particularly concerned that Angela was waiting on her and simply resumed what she had been doing. Lady Vaswani was working with a large pile of roughly rectangular blocks of what looked like marble. She lifted one that must have weighed an actual ton, placed it next to the incomplete wall, and began making arcane gestures with her hands. The marble reshaped itself, fusing to the already completed portion of the wall, adding about a foot to its length. Angela watched her repeat the process a few times. Lift, place, shape. It was a remarkably efficient way to construct a castle, she could have completed a new room in a few hours. No wonder this place is so large.

Angela waited and watched long enough that her kneeling position was starting to become uncomfortable. She was considering how she could politely interrupt when Satya spoke.

“I want you to understand something.” Sayta said as she moved her next block into place. “I have no desire to make your life uncomfortable or difficult. But humans have an unfortunate tendency to consider themselves my equal. Every decade or so I have to teach some misguided fool a very harsh lesson.” 

She turned towards Angela. 

“I know humans resist the idea that they are anything but the height of creation, but at the very least I expect you to appreciate the fact that I am royalty. I do not want disrespect to become a problem with you.”

“I… don't think that will be a problem.” Angela responded. “Your Highness.” she added for good measure.

Satya smiled. 

“Good. Stand up. Or sit if you wish. Relax.” She said, gesturing to a roughly rectangular block of marble. Angela moved to the block, sitting down.

“I am a little surprised you came to me, I intended to give you space for a few days, give you time to adapt to your new home.” Satya said. “Do you need something I overlooked?”

“Actually, I want to know what you have planned for me.” Angela asked. “I can't really get settled until I know what my life is going to be like.”

“I truthfully don't know. I have never so much as owned a kitten before.” Satya said.

“I am not a kitten.” Angela said, a bit indignant at the comparison.

“The general principle is the same. Why do you own your cats? They are not very practical animals. You don't eat them, they can't pull a cart, they don't provide milk or eggs to eat. So what value are they?”

“I suppose they provide comfort and company.” Angela said. “So that is why I am here? You are lonely?” Angela had a vision of a dragon collecting humans like a crazy cat lady.

“I have lived in this castle practically alone for a hundred and fifty years. Wouldn't you be lonely?” Satya said. 

“Yes, your point is taken, but I am not an animal.” Angela said.

“No. You are much better than any animal. You are useful, intelligent, beautiful. I can learn from you, I can have conversation with you. You are a fellow magic user, and unless I am very wrong you use a type of magic I have never encountered before.” Satya said. “And by the way, you smell  _ good _ .” She put a lot of emphasis on the last word. “Very appealing.”

“I… what? I smell good? What does that have to do with… what?” Angela said, caught off guard by the odd comment.

“When we first met I said you reeked of magic. That was the wrong word. It’s a good smell.” Satya said as if that was any sort of explanation.

There was a lot to unpack there.

“Ok, first of all, you can smell magic?” Angela asked.

“... You can’t?” Satya responded after a moment’s hesitation.

“No. I can’t. As far as I know no human can.”

Satya looked thoughtful for a moment.

“Incredible. I don’t know how you manage.”

“Second, and I hope this is respectful enough your highness, but you can’t just tell people they smell.” Angela racked her brain, trying to figure a way to explain about humans and smell. “Humans are sensitive about their smell. There are unspoken rules.” 

“When I said you reeked, it was a grave insult.” Satya said. “I understand.”

“Yes, that is right, but telling someone they smell good can be just as bad.” Angela explained.

“That makes no sense. It is a complement.” Satya said as if lack the of sense in human social interactions was personally offensive.

Angela considered for a moment. She knew why, she had just never had to put it into words before. It was odd to consider that these things were not universal.

“I think… so humans like having their own space, right? We can be intensely private creatures. And our sense of smell is not very strong. You have to be very close to someone if you are going to smell them. And that physical closeness is usually only allowed to people we are emotionally close to. So when someone who does not have that trusted emotional closeness comments on your smell it is either very offensive or disconcerting.”

“I see.” Satya said, considering this new information. “This is all very interesting, already I am learning fascinating new things.”

“I am glad I could be of service.” Angela said, rolling her eyes a bit.

“I do know about sarcasm, Angela.” Satya said, but with a good natured smile down at Angela.

“I'm not trying to complain, this is just a very odd situation.” Angela said.

“Is there anything you need? I am sure I can make any arrangements you require.” Satya said. “I might even be willing to allow other humans in the castle. On a limited basis.”

“Spoiling your pet?” Angela said.

“I know you are used to luxury. I want to make the change easy on you.”

Angela gave a mirthless laugh.

“Luxury? Where did you get that idea? I live in a shack. I barely have enough to eat.” Angela explained.

“But you are a magic user. Humans practically worship their main users.” Satya said, clearly confused.

“Not witches.” Angela said.

“I have read stories about witches that use dark magic, but you don't use dark magic. You are a good witch. I can tell. You don't smell like dark magic at all.”

“Good witch?”

“Sometimes there are good witches in the stories. They are always treated very well. Practically royalty.”

“Yes, it doesn’t work that way in real life.” Angela said bitterly. 

“Why not?

Another difficult one. Did dragons have prejudice in the same way humans did? They didn’t have much in the way of organized society.

“So. Witches are, um, seen as evil, but not because they are evil. When things are bad people want someone to blame. So they blame witches. They say we are evil and we brought the bad thing on them. Sometimes it is specific, ‘you cursed my daughter!’, sometimes it is more general. I was once blamed for a fire. A priest claimed it was punishment from god for allowing the witch to live in their city, I had to run.”

“But that is foolish. You can't just assign blame.” Satya said.

“Yes. But witches are easy to blame. We stand out.”

“Wait a moment.” Satya said, working something out. “Is that why they gave you to me? So I would get rid of you for them?”

“Well yes. I think they were hoping you would eat me. Did you not know that?” Angela asked.

“No, I did not! How does that make any sense, I have never even killed a human. And I certainly do not eat women I find outside my castle!” She snapped. “And even if I did I do not do dirty work for peasants!” She stood up. Her eyes were glowing with anger. “I am going to the city, and you are coming. We are sorting this out right now!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god this chapter took me so long to write, I went through so many drafts. This isn't perfect, I might clean it up later, but I got to get this out so I can move on.


	9. Chapter 9

Lady Vaswani stepped away from the wall she was building and transformed back into her impressive, natural form, spreading her large leathery wings. Even though Angela knew there was no danger she couldn’t help but feel a pang of fear as the dragon fixed its eyes on her.

<Get on.> The dragon ordered, lowering her head to the ground to allow Angela to climb on top of her.

“Um, I could go get my broom if you-” 

<Now.> Lady Vaswani said.

Angela quickly obeyed, clambering up on top of the dragon, finding a decent place to straddle the dragon's neck. It was as wide around as a horse, but the layered scales offered plenty of grip for Angela.

_ This is actually really neat. _ Thought Angela, trying to think on the bright side.  _ I actually get to ride - _

Woosh!

They shot off the ground, ascending faster than Angela had ever experienced on her broom. She screamed as she desperately clung to the dragon, wrapping her arms as far around the scaled neck as she could manage. Angela had still been settling in, trying to find foot and hand holds that would not bother the dragon when they launched off the ground. Every thought but desperately clinging on for her life had been driven from her mind in an instant.

<Don't worry Angela, I won't let you fall.> Lady Vaswani said, a note of amusement coming through the telepathic connection.

“If you say so.” Angela said without loosening her grip one bit.

After what seemed like an eternity the dragon leveled off and the feeling of reckless ascent stopped, replaced with nothing but a steady wind in Angela’s face. She opened her eyes and risked a look towards the ground. They were up high. Very high. Far Higher than Angela had ever flown on her broom, but it wasn’t so bad now things were stable. And it was all academic after the first hundred feet or so anyway, you were just as dead. If you fell. The castle grounds were far below, Utopaea in the distance, and forest with a long, winding path between them. After a bit if searching Angela found a little dot in a clearing that could only be her shack.

<Impressive view, isn’t it?> Lady Vaswani said.

“How did we get so high so quickly?” Angela asked.

<I created a powerful updraft using magic. I have invented several spells to augment my natural flight.> Lady Vaswani explained. Angela got the distinct feeling she was bragging, though Angela couldn’t guess why she cared to impress someone as comparatively insignificant as herself.

“You have a wide variety of magical abilities.” Angela said, fishing for something appropriately complementary.

<I have made it my business to master many disciplines.> Lady Vaswani said proudly.

“So... what are we going to do when we reach Utopaea?” Angela asked.

<As much as I would like to hunt down those men myself there is an order to these things. I cannot just execute a handful of people with no trial. That would violate our pact. We will let the city guard deal with them.> Lady Vaswani explained.

“So we are just going to report the crime? That’s anti climatic.” Angela had to admit she was hoping for something a bit more satisfying.

<They will be held accountable for their actions. And I plan on making a dramatic point while we are there. I will not be ruler of a people who are slaves to superstition. My humans are meant to be of a higher caliber.>

“So why am I coming? It doesn’t really seem necessary.” Angela asked.

<You are the witness and victim of the crimes. Your testimony is required.> Lady Vaswani explained. <We also need to discuss your position.>

“What do you mean?”

<I believed you to be the city’s proper tribute. Now it is clear you are not, I have no claim to you.> She explained.

It took a moment for Angela to translate that statement into practical terms.

“You are letting me go?”

<If that is what you wish, yes. However, I would like to make you an offer. I am quite attached to the idea of keeping you for a time. Perhaps... a year. If you were to agree I can offer you my protection and significant compensation. And, of course, accommodations at the castle.>  Lady Vaswani said.

“You are offering me a job.” Angela translated.

<If you want to think of it that way.>

Angela thought for a moment, mulling the idea over in her head.

“When you say compensation…” Angela said, letting the question hang in the air. She didn’t want to seem greedy.

<We can settle on a price later.> The dragon said, almost dismissively. <Money is no object. It should be sufficient for me to say that I can make you very wealthy.>

Money, protection, shelter.

“I don’t think I can say no.” Angela said. Her situation had been desperate for years, living just this side of starvation at times. This was her chance out of that life.

<Excellent. Then we have a deal. I have you for one year.> Lady Vaswani said in a pleased tone.

It was a little disturbing to Angela how easy it was to bargain away her freedom, even if it was only for a year. Still, it was an opportunity she couldn’t pass up. And Lady Vaswani had, so far, been considerate of Angela’s position. It should be at least tolerable.

It wasn’t long before they came to the city, the dragon flying low and slow. They were low enough that Angela could make out individuals pointing up at them from below. In any other city the people would be fleeing in terror. Here this was, well, not commonplace, but not entirely unheard of.

<Cover your ears.> Lady Vaswani ordered. Angela obeyed and a moment later the dragon gave a deafening roar, so loud Angela could feel it. They circled almost lazily over the city, the dragon roaring again. Now the people were running for cover like one would expect in a proper dragon attack.

“I think you might be overdoing it!” Angela shouted as Satya let out a large burst of flame high above the city.

<Your probably right. Still, nothing drives home a point like a little overkill!> Lady Vaswani said, roaring again.

“You're having fun, aren't you?” Angela accused, a small grin forming on her face. “I can hear the amusement in your, um, thoughts.”

<Of course I am. How often do you think I get to let loose like this?>

Satya made one last circle around the city, landing gently in the courtyard in front of the city hall. She let out another jet of flame harmlessly into the air for good measure.

<That should get their attention.> Lady Vaswani said smugly.

“You think so?” Angela asked sarcastically.

Two small figures came out of the city hall. It took Angela a moment to realize they were not, in fact, small at all. The first was a man who could have qualified as a giant. He had arms as wide around as Angela's waist and white hair that made Angela think of a lion's mane. The second was a woman, taller even than Captain Amari. She had darker red hair and looked like she could lift Angela with one arm. Likely the governor and his aid, Angela realized.

<Reinhardt. Bridgette.> Lady Vaswani said.

“Your highness.” The giant man said, both bowing their heads for a moment. “For what reason do we have the pleasure of your company today?” The man had a remarkably calm demeanor considering he was speaking with a dragon.

<Crimes have been committed, Reinhardt. Kidnapping. Attempted murder. Insults to the crown. I have come today to ensure justice is delivered to the guilty.> The dragon leaned down to let Angela get off. <Angela, tell them.>

Angela carefully slid down off of the dragon. The pair of individuals looked down at her with a mix of confusion and respect. They probably had not even noticed her until now.

“Um, hello. I'm Angela Ziegler.” Angela said. Angela was a bit awkward, overly aware she was probably talking to the three most important people in several hundred miles.

“You are the witch who lives just outside the city, right?” Reinhardt asked. Angela nodded. 

“I have spoken about her with the Captain, Reinhardt. Fareeha and Ana have both vouched for her character.” Bridgette said to Reinhardt. Angela had not know about that. “She is a healer of some skill, and has been helping the guard and less fortunate citizens with her art.”

“Well then, let's hear what you have to say.” Reinhardt said. The man had a warm, friendly voice, even if he did practically shout everything he said. Angela briefly wondered if he was hard of hearing.

“Um, the night before last I was taken from my home by some men. They intended to sacrifice me to, uh, the king.” Angela said nervously, gesturing to Lady Vaswani.

<They attacked her for no reason other than superstitious nonsense. And they attempted to use me to dispose of an innocent woman. This cannot stand, Reinhardt.> The dragon said.

“This is troubling.” Reinhardt replied. “I know people have been on edge about you Angela but I did not know it was this bad.” The man seemed genuinely concerned for her well being. 

<If the guard is unable to find the culprits on their own I will personally assist. That should impress upon you how serious I take this matter. I will not have my city slave to superstition.> Lady Vaswani said.

“Of course your highness. No effort will be spared.” Reinhardt said.

<And let it be known that the witch Angela is under my protection, I have claimed her as my own. If anyone should lay so much as a finger in her they will be at my mercy.>

* * *

 

It is quite astonishing how a raging dragon king can eliminate bureaucratic red tape. For the first time in her life Angela found herself in a position of privilege. No one wanted to offend the dragon's witch and everyone was practically falling over themselves to accommodate her. Bringing her tea, food, carefully taking down her testimony. Captain Amari wasn’t back from wherever she had been, but Angela was assured that every guard in the city had an ear and eye out for her attackers. She was even able to arrange to have the remainder of her things delivered to the castle the next day. It was less than two hours before Angela and Lady Vaswani were in the air headed back to the castle.

The rest of the day went by rather uneventfully. Lady Vaswani returned to her ongoing project of building the castle and Angela set to making her new home into a place more fit to her needs. Bastion helped her move a table, several chairs, and a desk into the room, as well as two cushions for the cats, which had apparently had a field day exploring the castle. From what Angela could gather they had spent most of the day with Bastion who was more than happy to follow them around, letting them into all the rooms to explore.

It wasn’t until nightfall that anything truly noteworthy happened.

Angela was moving a few plates and bowls from the abandoned kitchen into her room, traveling through the darkened corridors, when a figure sprang out at her from a shadowed corner. In a flash Angela was pinned up against the wall, a hand covering her mouth. The dishes Angela was carrying clattered loudly on the floor.

“Angela!” A familiar voice whispered. The hand was removed from her mouth.

“Captain Amari?” Angela said.

“I know a way out, come on!” The captain said, grabbing Angela's hand and pulling her down the corridor. “Sorry about sneaking up on you.” The captain said, glancing around a corner. “I couldn't risk a scream when I came out of the shadows.”

“What are you doing here?” Angela hissed.

“Rescuing you!” 

“Rescuing me?” Angela asked.  _ Of course, she must think I am a prisoner. _ ”Captain, you don't need to rescue me.” Angela whispered, exasperated.

“I'm not just going to leave you the slave of a dragon!” The captain said, pulling her around the corner. “If we can get you out of the castle I can hide you.”

“Captain, I really appreciate this, but-”

“Did you hear that?” The captain said, freezing in her tracks.

Straining her hearing Angela managed to make out a quiet fall of steps.

“Hide!” Fareeha hissed, pulling Angela into a doorway and pushing her down and against the wall, pressing against her to hide in the shadows as well.

Angela probably should have done something to clear up the confusion, but at that moment she was more than a little distracted. The captain had forgone armor, presumably because it would do little to protect her against a dragon. This made it very difficult for Angela to ignore the fact that Fareeha was pressed against her, one of her muscular arms wrapped around Angela’s shoulder.

_ I should really say something. _ Angela thought, trying her hardest to ignore how Fareeha’s chest was practically up against her face.

As the footsteps came closer Fareeha silently drew a large dagger.

_ Uh oh. _

“Fareeha, no!” Angela shouted as the captain lunged out of the shadows at Lady Vaswani. If the dragon was surprised she didn't show it. She caught Fareeha’s wrist in her hand, yanking her forward and pulling her off balance. Fareeha hardly missed a beat, using her momentum to swing her fist up into the dragon’s gut. Angela winced at the dull thud and quiet popping sound Fareeha’s fist made when it hit the iron scales, causing Fareeha to fall to her knees in pain. Lady Vaswani plucked the dagger from her grip, tossed it aside, and took a few steps back to survey the situation.

“Fareeha!” Angela said, rushing to her to take a look at her hand. “You can't punch a dragon!”

“Felt like punching a brick wall.” Fareeha said, wincing, then looking up at Lady Vaswani. A look of confusion crossed her face. “Wait a minute…  _ Satya? _ ”

“Ah… Hello Fareeha.” The dragon said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I considered having Sym deal with the men herself, but in the end I decided it was more satisfying to have them dealt with "properly". This all started with an act of violence by men against a woman, it feels much better to me that this is resolved in a more official way. Besides, it lined up with the story better and gave me a chance to have Reinhardt and Bridgette show up. Also it really fits better in with the character of my dragon sym, she is nothing if not a creature of order.
> 
> For the same basic reason as I decided that Sym would bring up the fact that she didn't have a proper claim to Angela anymore. I hadn't planned on this originally, but I think it works well, makes this all much more consensual on Angela's part, which will be important later when things start getting romantic/sexual. 
> 
> Also, I finally get to introduce Pharah! I have been waiting to do this since chapter 2.
> 
> I am really excited for next chapter, I hope I can do what I have planned justice.


	10. Chapter 10

“I didn't think you would recognize me in this form.” Satya said.

“I… what the hell is going on.” Fareeha said. “Why are you here?”

“This is my home, Fareeha. Why are you here?” Satya said.

“You kidnapped… I am here to save Angela!” Fareeha said, gesturing to the witch with her injured hand and immediately gasping in pain.

“Ok, no, we are stopping right now.” Angela declared. “Obviously you two have some sort of.. thing… going on. But I need to take a close look at Captain Amari’s hand before it swells up. So we are all going to my room where I have my tools and you two can figure out whatever this is after I make sure you didn't shatter your wrist.”

“But-” Fareeha started.

“Nope.” Angela said, helping Fareeha to her feet. “The doctor’s putting her foot down on this one.”

Fareeha looked up at Satya. She shrugged back at her.

“Doctor knows best, I suppose.”

“Good. Now follow me.” Angela said, setting off back down the hall.

The resulting silence as they followed Angela was one of the more awkward moments in Fareeha’s life. She didn’t have any experience for small talk in this situation and Satya and Angela didn’t seem interested in filling it so the silence dragged like a weight. It was less than a minute but Fareeha was relieved when Angela stopped in front of a room and opened the door.

The doctor’s room was… interesting. Filled with a combination of stuffy, old fashioned furniture and items Fareeha was used to seeing in Angela’s shack. She had, apparently, dragged in a desk, which already was developing a mess of papers, books and potions.

“You two, sit on the bed.” Angela ordered. Satya did so, and Fareeha followed her lead. Angela shooed Winston off her desk chair and dragged it over to the bed, sitting down and gently guiding Fareeha injured hand out in front of her.

Satya watched Angela work with great interest while Angela took a long look at the injury. Fareeha was sure there was more to it than that, but to the untrained eye it didn't really seem like it. She turned it this way and that, poked at it (“does this hurt?” “YES”), and used her wand, tapping Fareeha’s wrist while casting some spell. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Angela seemed satisfied.

“The good news is it isn’t broken. Not even tiny fractures, at least none I can discover. But it is a bad sprain.” Angela said, carefully wrapping the wrist in a bandage. Fareeha winced at the slightest touch on the wrist.

“Broken or not it hurts really bad. It feels worse now than before.” Fareeha said.

“Yes, that is the adrenaline wearing off and the swelling. It is going to hurt for a long time and you won't be able to use it at all for a couple weeks. When you get back to the city get Ana to make a sling for you.” Angela instructed.

“A couple weeks?” Fareeha complained while Angela tied off the bandage.

“You are to give yourself proper time to heal, I will be checking in on you. Really you are lucky. I mean, punching a dragon. What were you thinking?” Angela said.

“Most of my kind would have killed you for the insult alone.” Satya said.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time… You’re basically human shaped, right?” Fareeha said, looking to Satya. “I figured, ya know, shaped like a human, gets hit like a human.”

“Broadly speaking that isn’t too far off, actually.” Satya said. “Anatomically this form is essentially human. But I armored up the weak points with, well, all the things that basically make a dragon invincible. If you could punch through steel it would have an effect like hitting a normal human.” 

“Ok, yeah, that actually brings something up.” Fareeha said. She cast around for a few moments for the exact words she needed. “You’re a dragon.” was all she managed to come up with.

“I am.” Satya said.

“I feel like I would have noticed that last time we saw each other.” Fareeha said.

“Alright… so, like many dragons, I can shapeshift. Here…”

It wasn’t a dramatic change, it was as if all the draconic elements simply melted away to reveal the woman Fareeha knew. As she transformed she simultaneously summoning a loose fitting blue dress to cover herself, along with a few choice pieces of jewelry. She was exactly as beautiful as Fareeha remembered.

“You look very similar. How did you think people wouldn’t recognize you?” Angela asked.

“I don’t know, human have dull senses. You can’t even smell magic.” Satya said, a bit exasperated. “I like this body, and the castle is human sized, not dragon sized. I figured the scales and horns and other things would be enough. Are you going to let me explain or not?”

“Please.” Fareeha said.

“As I was saying, I was visiting the city. Bored. A bit lonely. Looking for some entertainment or company. Apparently I was in the wrong part of town, three men tried to rob me. Fareeha saved me, fighting off all three men at once.” Satya explained.

“You weren't actually in any danger, were you?” Fareeha commented. She was feeling a bit foolish, she had been so proud. And it hadn’t even been necessary.

“Well, no.” Satya said with an apologetic tone. “But that doesn't make what you did any less heroic.” She added quickly. “I was quite impressed.”

“So you saved the dragon King of Utopia from muggers.” Angela said, shaking her head in amusement. “Only you, Fareeha.”

“There… a little more to it than that…” Fareeha said, blushing slightly.

“After Fareeha saved me I was quite eager to show my gratitude.” Satya said, grinning. Fareeha watched as the wheels spun in Angela’s head during the entirely too suggestive pause. It took her a lot longer than it would have taken Fareeha.

“Wait...” Angela said, understanding beginning to dawn in her eyes.

“I was _ very _ grateful.” Satya emphasized. Fareeha recognized the dead pan mischief. It was something Satya did; she would poke at people just to see how they would respond. When the response was interesting she would poke more. She never did it in malice but it could be a bit trying. Entertaining though, when you knew her well enough to be in on the joke. Fareeha missed the verbal sparring Ana and Satya would occasionally engage in.

“You… you two!” Angela finally blurted out, bringing Fareeha back to reality. The witch was turning bright red, her eyes darting between the captain and Satya. “Are you, um, together?” she asked.

“No. We only saw each other occasionally.” Fareeha said.

Angela shifted awkwardly. Fareeha found it a bit odd that the only one that really seemed embarrassed was the one who was never involved. Perhaps the witch was more naive than she had assumed. No, naive wasn’t the right word. Innocent, perhaps?

“I am sorry, that was a lot more personal than I expected, I didn't mean to pry.” Angela said, looking entirely too uncomfortable.

Satya shrugged the concern away.

“You needed some sort of explanation for after the confrontation in the hallway. There was no real reason to hide the truth. Though I would ask, as a favor, both of you to keep this information to yourself.” Satya said. She had shifted back to a more dignified, kingly tone. It also presented a bit of a problem.

“Oh. Um, that might not be as easy as it sounds. Reinhardt, Bridgette, and mom are all waiting outside the castle.” Fareeha explained. “I completely forgot, they are probably worried that something went wrong.” 

“You all showed up to save me?” Angela asked in a small voice. The hint of confusion in her voice gave Fareeha that pang of sympathy that you sometimes got when dealing with Angela. She was clearly not used to having friends. 

“Mom had something prepared to neutralize whatever magic might have cast on you, and, well, Reinhardt and Bridgette.” Fareeha said.

“If someone is defying a power mad dragon king they would be the first in line to sign up.” Satya said, grinning. “I am quite proud my humans have such a strong sense of justice. Angela, would you go collect them? We will meet in the great hall, I would like to clear this up tonight.” Fareeha recognized this tone as well, though she usually heard it from her own mouth. It wasn’t just that she was giving an order. It was assured confidence that what she said would happen. It made people want to do it. That could be either experience in leadership or natural charisma. Or both.

It was beginning to dawn on Fareeha how little she actually knew about Satya. It went far deeper than her identity as a dragon.

“Of course.” Angela said without hesitation.

“They are going to need some explanation.” Fareeha said.

“We tell them the truth. We fought, you were injured, and Angela has been treating your injury while we sorted out that she is, in fact, not my unwilling prisoner.” Satya said. “Just omit the details of our conversation. And I will use my full draconic form to ensure Ana does not recognize me.”

“I can do that. Be right back.” Angela said, exiting the room.

“We should get to the main hall.” Satya said, standing and offering a hand to Fareeha. Fareeha took it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet. She had so many questions, but all of them seemed invasive. Satya had kept so much hidden, she obviously valued her privacy greatly.

“So I guess all of this wasn’t necessary.” Fareeha said, gingerly touching her sprained wrist and wincing at the pain. “Damn I feel foolish.” 

“If it helps I think you were very brave.” Satya said, leading Fareeha out of Angela’s room and down a hallway. “A knight storming the dragon’s castle to save the damsel in distress! It’s a classic.”

“If you don’t mind my asking, what is your arrangement with Angela?” Fareeha asked, following behind.

“We have an understanding. She needs protection, shelter, money. Needs I can provide for. She is going to stay here for the next year.”

“And what are you getting out of this deal?” Fareeha asked, though she suspected she had an idea already.

“A servant. Access to her knowledge. The opportunity to study her magic. There are many reasons I would want someone like Angela.” Satya said.

“Company?” Fareeha suggested. 

Satya looked at her. For a moment Fareeha thought she could see the dragon looking through those human eyes. Not unkind, but piercing straight through her. Reading her. It was a bit unsettling.

“Yes, I suppose you know me too well.” Satya said, turning away. “It has been lonely since I stopped visiting the city.”

“If you were lonely you could have come visited me.” Fareeha pointed out. “It’s not far, especially when you can fly.” 

“I didn’t want to make things worse.” Satya said.

“I thought things were going pretty well.”

“That was the problem. Things were moving forward.”

“You seemed to enjoy it at the time.”

“Yes. But dragons don’t do relationships like humans do. It isn’t in us. You want things I am not capable of giving and it ends in pain.” Satya said. “But I was lonely and you were right there. I took advantage of you.”

Fareeha didn’t really know how to respond to that. She didn’t really know what half of it meant.

“I didn’t feel that I had been taken advantage of.” Fareeha said after taking time to consider her words “I think, maybe, you could have given me the choice. Maybe it would not end so bad if I knew what I was getting into.”

“Perhaps.” Satya said. “This is the great hall.” Satya said, pushing open a set of large doors.

The room caught Fareeha a bit off guard. It wasn’t the size, but the things inside. A bedroom for a dragon. It occurred to her that she had never really considered how a dragon might sleep. They always slept in caves in the stories.

Beside Fareeha Satya suddenly expanded, her form shifting, growing. Fareeha had seen dramatic transformations before. When a werewolf transformed it was horrifying, as if the monster were tearing itself out of the human’s skin. This was nothing like that, there was an amount of beauty to the transformation. A graceful transition from one shape to the other.

“Can I come visit?” Fareeha asked.

<I think… it would be best if you did not.> Satya said. <Perhaps I will come to you.>

“Ana would enjoy seeing you again.” Fareeha said. “I would too.”

Angela entered the great hall, the three would be heroes tailing behind.

<It has come to my attention that I could have, perhaps, been a bit more clear.> Satya began.

Fareeha only half paid attention as Satya explained. Angela found her way to Fareeha while the three listened to Satya’s explanation.

“I wanted to say thank you. For trying to rescue me.” Angela said.

“Of course. Think nothing of it.” Fareeha said. It sounded almost insincere, but she couldn’t think of anything better.

“Angela.”

“Yes?”

“Take care of Satya. I think she needs you more than she realizes.” Fareeha said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, finally finished this chapter. I really struggled writing this, mostly because life has not been easy over the past few months. But I finally got it to something I am ok posting. I am actually quite happy with how parts of this turned out.


	11. Chapter 11

Rumors spread like wildfire, especially when those rumors involve an angry dragon. There seemed to be a hundred different accounts of what had transpired at the castle but ultimately the city converged on certain vital elements.

Fareeha had ridden up to the castle gates and challenged the dragon for Angela’s freedom. The dragon, amused by the foolish knight, accepted the challenge but was surprised at her impressive abilities. It was an epic duel, straight out of a fairy tale, but still, in the end, even Fareeha could not best the dragon. As Vaswani was about to deliver the final blow Angela intervened, throwing herself in front of Fareeha and begging for her to be spared. The dragon, impressed by Fareeha’s skill and Angela’s passion, spared the captain. It was the sort of nonsense people came up with to entertain themselves, but within a week it was accepted as hard fact.

And then, extrapolating from these 'facts', suddenly everyone knew that there was a _thing_ going on between Fareeha and Angela. After all, you wouldn't fight a dragon for just anyone. And have you heard that the witch is tending to her injuries personally? No wonder the guard came down so hard on the those men!

The strangest thing for Angela was how friendly the entire city had become. Respect had been jarring, but friendliness? From strangers? It was almost unsettling. Whatever the case, Angela was glad that the rumors seemed to have broken in her favor for once. The consensus seemed to be that if the captain liked her then she couldn’t be that bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the very short chapter, I know it has been a long time since I last posted for this story. I have been stuck really hard on it for a very long time, I swear I have written 6 different drafts for chapter 11 and it just never came together. That is, until tonight! I finally figured out how I was going to be able to continue the story.
> 
> This chapter is a section that I really like but I couldn't make it fit that well into the introduction of chapter 11, but it includes some pretty important information and I really like how it is presented, so I am posting it here and the next real chapter will be 12. Now that I know how I am going to proceed I am extremely excited, I intend to stay up late tonight just to get down a full first draft and the chapter will be up within the week. 
> 
> I am so excited to finally be back on this project!

**Author's Note:**

> If you like this fic my blog is: 
> 
> https://luckyladylily.tumblr.com/
> 
> I am going to try to do more writing and post progress reports and such on there regularly (daily?) to help with motivation, so if you liked this maybe follow? I would appreciate it.


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